1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method for forming a tip for a carbon nanotube wire, and a method for forming a field emission structure having the carbon nanotube wire.
2. Description of Related Art
Carbon nanotubes were first produced by means of arc discharge between graphite rods. Carbon nanotubes feature extremely high electrical conductivity, very small diameters (much smaller than 100 nanometers), large aspect ratios (i.e. length/diameter ratios greater than 1000), and a tip-surface area near the theoretical limit (the smaller the tip-surface area, the more concentrated the electric field, and the greater the field enhancement factor). These features tend to make carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for electron emitters of field emission displays.
Carbon nanotubes prepared by conventional methods are in the dimensions of micro-scale. The micro-scale carbon nanotubes limit carbon nanotube features. Thus, preparation of macro-scale carbon nanotube structures, such as carbon nanotube wires or carbon nanotube films, has attracted much attention. The carbon nanotube wires are solid linear structures. The carbon nanotube films are sheet-shaped structures. However, macro-scale carbon nanotubes and methods for making these are not known.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a method for making macro-scale carbon nanotubes, such as carbon nanotube wires, having high field enhancement factor for electron emitters.